Clean, well maintained paint brushes produce quality finishes free of runs and bristles. Cleaning is tedious and time consuming. Fluids used for cleaning are often discarded into the environment after only a single or several uses. Many fluids are volatile, fire hazards and contaminate ground water, lakes and streams.
Numerous procedures and devices for cleaning brushes exist in the art. The most common procedure consists of washes in solvents and soapy water. After cleaning, brushes are often stored on their sides or upright on their ends, causing paint to harden in bristles and bristles to deform.
Awareness of the fire and health hazards with cleaning solvents has resulted in government regulations. Flammable fluids must be isolated in business establishments from ignition sources. Commercial clothes cleaners are required by law to confine cleaning fluids in closed systems that prevent a discharge of hazardous vapors into the environment. As yet, the use of hazardous solvents by commercial painters and consumers is largely unregulated. Consequently, painters and consumers carelessly pollute ground water, lakes and streams by dumping hazardous solvents on the ground and into sinks and sewers.
Existing brush cleaning apparatus and storage devices are difficult to use and difficult to seal. An effective, easy to use apparatus for cleaning and storing paint brushes would satisfy an important public need.